Sunday, August 18, 2024
Published: Sunday, Aug 18th 2024, 05:30
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Billions for rail expansions without a concept, further job cuts at UBS and the financial industry's earnings from pension fund money: This and more can be found in the Sunday papers. The headlines in unverified reports:
"SonntagsZeitung":
The SBB has criticized rail expansions costing billions without a concept. Most recently, regional projects resulted in additional costs of CHF 6.9 billion, as the SonntagsZeitung newspaper reported. Parliament had approved the expansions even though there was neither proof of demand nor a service and timetable concept. Sufficient funds are needed to maintain the infrastructure as a priority, said Daria Martinoni, responsible for the SBB timetable. In future, there should only be expansions if there is a clear customer benefit, she said. According to the Federal Office of Transport, parliament's expansion decisions can be financed.
"NZZ am Sonntag":
According to estimates, UBS is likely to cut a further 18,000 jobs worldwide over the next two years. The figure calculated by observers is based on the profit targets communicated by the bank, as the "NZZ am Sonntag" wrote. UBS employees are to be given preference over CS employees. However, it remains to be seen whether UBS will actually employ 18,000 fewer people by the end of 2026. It is not known how many employees UBS actually has at present. In Switzerland in particular, employees will remain on the payroll for a very long time, even though they have already been made redundant or have resigned themselves.
"SonntagsBlick":
The financial industry has earned CHF 67.6 billion from second pillar pension assets over the last ten years. This was the conclusion of an analysis by the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB), which was made available to "SonntagsBlick". The SGB added up the asset management costs, risk premiums for disability and death and the absorption of income from the occupational pension business. For the Director of the Swiss Pension Fund Association, Lukas Müller-Brunner, the total does not go far enough. For an analysis, the costs must be measured in relation to the assets under management. Moreover, the returns are just as important as the costs.
"SonntagsZeitung":
Sex workers in Zurich have increasingly experienced violence and contracted sexually transmitted diseases since the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, more sex workers are using drugs, wrote the SonntagsZeitung based on an analysis by the city's medical service. In the first four months of this year, 19 out of 296 tests for syphilis were positive. In the whole of 2023, there were 22 positive tests, according to the newspaper. A no does not count, without a condom is standard and violence is part of it, especially for younger men, said one of those affected to the newspaper. The British newspaper "The Sun" recently dubbed Zurich the sex capital of Europe. Buying sex is as easy as ordering a cab.
"SonntagsBlick":
The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has experienced difficulties in its search for a new head of the Wildlife Section. The appointment of Reinhard Schnidrig's successor is "difficult", the FOEN told SonntagsBlick. Environment Minister Albert Rösti had blocked a capable candidate, the newspaper wrote. A spokesperson for Rösti did not wish to comment on the matter due to privacy laws. According to the FOEN, the direct search was unsuccessful. The Federal Office therefore engaged a recruitment company. According to the newspaper, external recruitment costs at least CHF 85,000. The price could be renegotiated depending on how things go, the FOEN announced. Meanwhile, the cantons are putting pressure on the Office. The next proactive wolf regulation campaign will start on September 1, said Obwalden cantonal councillor Josef Hess.
"NZZ am Sonntag":
The cry for help from palliative medicine regarding the reimbursement of necessary medication has not yet led to any changes. The association Palliative.ch criticized the continuing arbitrariness in the reimbursement of medications that are not on the federal specialty list. People who wish to die at home or in nursing homes are at a disadvantage, wrote the "Neue Zürcher Zeitung". Drugs would be paid for in hospitals. As early as 2022, the association sent the federal government a list of strong painkillers and sedatives that health insurance companies regularly do not pay for. According to the Federal Office of Public Health, the federal government has repeatedly called on health insurers to reimburse these drugs for outpatient treatment as well.
"Le Matin Dimanche":
Japan was one of the most popular travel destinations for the Swiss this summer. This was revealed by data from vacation accommodation provider Airbnb and travel agencies analyzed by "Le Matin Dimanche". Tokyo took the top spot and Osaka was in fourth place. In between were Cornwall in the UK and the Spanish Balearic Islands. After seven months in 2024, business in Japan had already exceeded the 2023 turnover by 46 percent. At Lotus Travel, business for Japan has increased fivefold since the coronavirus pandemic.
"NZZ am Sonntag":
The now established running shoe manufacturer On also used the grounds of the Swiss Embassy in Washington for a free running event in 2024 - including an aperitif and refreshments in the embassy pool. The marketing run has been taking place since 2017, as the Neue Zürcher Zeitung wrote. At that time, On did not yet have any offices on site, the company announced. According to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Switzerland would benefit from this collaboration. It is about an image transfer between official Switzerland and participating companies. According to the newspaper, a similar event took place in 2018 and 2023 with the support of the Swiss representation in London.
"SonntagsZeitung": The Federal Data Protection Commissioner, Adrian Lobsiger, has not received an application for the industrial drones announced by Swisscom and Nokia. A data protection impact assessment is already required by law during the planning of projects involving remote-controlled drones, as the SonntagsZeitung wrote. Lobsiger is not aware of any such requests - neither from Swisscom nor from future customers. According to Swisscom, an impact assessment is only required if no internal data protection consultants have been called in. The telecoms provider had done so. Lobsiger had asked for additional information. He received this after the newspaper confronted the provider with the research, as the "SonntagsZeitung" wrote.
"SonntagsBlick":
Officials from the canton of St. Gallen have expressed doubts about the wolf attack on a livestock guarding dog in the Flumserberge SG. Whether the dog was actually attacked by a wolf cannot be said with one hundred percent certainty, said Simon Meier, head of the hunting department. A DNA test, which is carried out after livestock kills, had not been carried out. A test on live animals would leave too much room for interpretation, said Meier. The dog could therefore have been injured by a wolf, or by another livestock guarding dog. In addition to the serious injuries, the fact that no other dog was injured speaks against this, said Martin Keller, president of the cantonal sheep breeding association.
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